Tortuguero is located at the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, about 40 km from the Nicaraguan border in the province of Limón. The name Tortuguero translates as “place where the turtles come” and is derived from the Spanish word for turtle, tortuga.
The Tortuguero National Park is home to the village of the same name, where around 700 people live. The national park has been protected since around 1975. Today, the main source of income for the inhabitants of Tortuguero is the growing tourism industry, mainly due to the sea turtles that regularly nest on Tortuguero beach. Tortuguero can only be reached by boat.
The national park is home to capuchin monkeys and sloths, among others. We were particularly interested in the green macaws that live there.
Here are some pictures of the local fauna:
